Union College to host multiple events inauguration week

Published on:

April 10, 2013

Later this month, Union College will inaugurate Marcia Hawkins, Ph.D., as the institution’s 19th president. However, the celebration will begin at a much earlier date with campus events that the public is invited to attend.

The inauguration ceremony will be held Friday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. in Robsion Arena with a reception to follow. The ceremony will be preceded by a worship service at 9:30 a.m. led by Bishop Lindsey Davis at Conway Boatman Chapel.

The week leading up to the ceremony contains a full calendar of events, beginning with a celebration for “Project Green Light,” a service project aimed at creating a more environment-friendly community. Volunteers for this project secured donations of energy-efficient light bulbs for designated, needy families throughout the Barbourville area. On Saturday, April 20, Union students and other volunteers will distribute the bulbs. The goal is to help these families save money and help the environment by conserving electricity. To celebrate the distribution, the public is invited to Burch-Nau Field at 10:00 a.m. for a donor recognition presentation, followed by an informational conservation fair in Patridge Student Center and canoe rides at Lakeside pond, weather permitting.

On Monday, April 22, there will be two events in honor of the upcoming inauguration ceremony. The first is a performance by Union College Singers and Union Harmony in Sharp Academic Center Atrium at 1:45 p.m. Following the performance, there will be a faculty inaugural lecture by Russell B. Sisson, Ph.D., Union College professor of religion. The title of his lecture is “Living and Learning by Reflected Light: Virtue, Educated Emotions and Indirect Communication,” and will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Rector Little Theatre.

At 5:00 on Tuesday, April 23, at Lakeside, there will be a brief ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate completed work associated with a multi-year lake revitalization project led by Union College students. Phase one, which includes a boat dock, pavilion and fire pit, is complete. The most recent addition to kick off phase two is a fountain aeration system, which is designed to protect the pond’s ecosystem. Within the next few weeks, the project is expected to continue with the groundbreaking of a full outdoor basketball court. In the future, the space will include meditation areas, an outdoor classroom and a walking path surrounding the pond. The ceremony will be followed by a heritage picnic and a Bluegrass music concert by Flickertail Holler, featuring Union alumnus Ben Jenkins on banjo. The dinner and music is themed to celebrate Appalachia.

The inaugural festivities for the week will conclude with the Bulldog Ball, a black-tie event. This event is not only a celebration of the inauguration of Hawkins, but also an end-of-the-year celebration for Union students. It is sponsored by the Union College Student Government Association.

All events, with the exception of the Bulldog Ball, are free and open to the public. Tickets for the Bulldog Ball are $25 each for community members. There is also an online registration that must be completed for anyone wishing to attend the ball. It can be found at www.unionky.edu/bulldogball. There are only 500 tickets available, and registration closes on Friday, April 12.

For more information concerning any of these events, please contact the Union College Office of Communications at 546-1610.